Mickey Goldberg, the president and COO for Rite Rug, said the opportunities were just the ones that his Dad was looking for when he was searching for a new corporate home for the 80-year-old company. In fact, Rite Rug first decided to locate a hard surface distribution center, a wholesale showroom, outlet and its property management division headquarters into 150,000 square feet of warehouse and off ice space in the former Kroger distribution center near the corner of Poth and Yearling roads.

The announcement was to bring 30 jobs to the City in 2014.

Rite Rug was so impressed with the location, cooperation from the Whitehall Economic Development Department and the building’s owner that the company decided to consolidate all of
its central Ohio operations into the facility. The company now plans to have all its operations at the facility by January 2015.

“We are looking forward to our long term strategic partnership with Whitehall. This move makes Rite Rug a better company,” Goldberg said. “We truly appreciate the efforts from the entire Whitehall team.”

Priority Designs, an industrial design and product development firm, is responsible for helping create the Nike CovertDriver that Tiger Woods used to win the Bridgestone Invitational and the Rawlings NRG Quantum helmet used by the NFL.

Just as Priority Designs is about innovation, so are the City of Whitehall’s business development and growth strategies.

In 2011, the City seized the opportunity to purchase the 49,000-square-foot former Chevrolet dealership that Priority Designs will soon call its new home. The City invested $1 million in the property, to be paid out over 10 years, to guide the development of Hamilton Road.

The City wanted to find the right company for the large, customizable space, and that’s what happened two summers later.

“It’s in our DNA to see value in things where others might not,” said Kolada. “This building suited us beautifully because it had wide open spaces that we could convert to our needs. The City of Whitehall has been great to work with and we’re excited to move in.”

When up and running in Whitehall, Priority Designs will receive a 50-percent annual income tax incentive on its nearly $4 million annual payroll. Priority Designs is investing $2.5 million into the property to convert it into a custom business campus for its 50-plus employees. The property will feature an expanded design studio, engineering labs, a patio, green space and more.

“We want to create a space that spurs creativity and provides everything our team needs to do great work,” Kolada said. “This facility should have it all.”

The first building for the new Industrial Complex at the Airport South Commerce and Tech Park started construction in March 2016. The completed industrial building will have 140,000 square feet of space for multiple tenants. The first tenant occupying 50,000 square feet has been identified as an auto parts distributor bringing 40 new jobs to the City.

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